Surrounding the OKC Thunder Big Three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren are a bevy of high-quality players who, due to being engulfed by the star trio's shadow, receive very little attention from the mainstream media.
Fortunately, Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz decided to go out of his way and shed light on one of the club's more valuable tertiary talents, as he tabbed Isaiah Joe as Oklahoma City's "hidden gem" who deserves more respect.
Isaiah Joe's Thunder breakout earning recognition in the mainstream
Frankly, such a distinction couldn't have come at a more deserving time for the wing, as he's recently served as one of the primary weapons keeping the Thunder afloat amid their latest run-in with the injury bug.
With guys like Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell, and J-Dub all being shelved for various health-related reasons, Joe has taken on more duties as an offensive initiator for the reigning champions and has produced exceptionally well.
Over his last eight games, the 26-year-old found himself dropping sensational averages of 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting an incredibly efficient 53.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Of course, his uptick in productivity isn't merely relegated to the offensive side of the ball, as Joe has been a real pest on the defensive end here in 2025-26, ranking third on the team in opponent field goal percentage and defensive rating among full-time players since February 4, and even recorded a five-steal showing in a hard-fought win against the Cavaliers this past Sunday.
Since the calendar page flipped to February, Joe has ranked fourth on the team in total plus-minus (plus-56) and third in on/off net rating (11.3) among those who have logged 150 or more minutes.
Now, Swartz's reasoning behind this recognition of Joe isn't only influenced by his on-court play, but also by his impact on the team's payroll, as he highlighted how the sixth-year pro's team-friendly, four-year $48 million deal will be dropping down to just 6.8 percent of the salary cap next season at just $11.3 million.
Considering Oklahoma City will be strapped for cash moving forward, what with their decision to extend all three of SGA, J-Dub, and Chet to max deals last offseason, having high-impact role players attached to highly affordable paydays is believed to be the key to evading the dreaded second apron.
With all this in mind, it should come as no surprise that Isaiah Joe was singled out as the most noteworthy hidden gem on this top-ranked Thunder squad.